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with an unladylike thump. Papa shook his head and clucked his tongue but Anna
didn t take too much note of that, instead running off to see if Sally could play, or at
least, if Sally s mother Mrs. Carruthers had any more shortbread.
 Marianna, be back here in one hour! Papa called after her.
 Yes, Papa, don t worry.
Sally was a whole three years older than she and at the ripe old age of eleven,
seemed much more interested in talking to Billy the blacksmith s son than playing with
Anna.
Anna was quite miffed but she walked away with her head held high. She decided
to take advantage of the Carruthers swing, even if Sally wasn t there to push her. She
sat on the bench and tried to push off with her legs but the seat was too big and she
couldn t pump her legs properly. This was a proper garden swing, a seat for a girl to sit
demurely in while being pushed. She couldn t see the sense in that and missed the
board swing Papa had built for her in the big oak. She sat, rocking back and forth as
best she could and chewed on the end of a braid and contemplated the kitchen garden
laid out in front of her.
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Match Made by Moonlight
 Grroooookkk! A large, squishy frog landed in her lap and she couldn t restrain
herself from a loud screech. She slipped off the seat and landed in the dirt, the frog
leaping free. A loud guffaw greeted her as she got up and dusted herself off.
She looked up, hands on her hips, at a boy about her own age, with black hair and
dark eyes, his mouth open in a wide grin. She raised an eyebrow, gave him her iciest
glare and lunged after him. He took off at high speed and just made it around a hedge
and past the stone fence ringing the yard before she caught up and tackled him. They
went sprawling and before he could scramble back up and keep running, the frog
managed to land on his head. This time, they both started laughing.
The frog leaped off and they remained sitting in the dirt path, eyeing each other
warily.  Who are you? she asked.
 Why should I tell you?
She gave a snort and crossed her arms over her chest.  This is my village and my
churchyard and I ve never seen you before. If you are going to be dropping frogs on
unsuspecting girls, I think I should at least know your name, so I can give a proper
warning to the other females of my acquaintance.
He squinted his eyes at her, as though evaluating her trustworthiness.  I don t
know why I m here. Just am. Name s Kelsey. Who are you?
 Is Kelsey your family name?
 Course it is. I m too big to be called by my Christian name. Papa says that at school
next year, I ll be Kelsey, like my brother, so I d better get used to it.
 Oh then, I m Sanderton then.
 Girls don t use there names like that, only boys.
 Why not?
He thought for a moment.  It just is.
 Well, I ll be Sanderton then, so there. He frowned.
 Suit yourself. An awkward silence followed.
He mumbled,  That s a fine horse you rode in on.
How long had he been watching her?  Garnet? She s Papa s favorite. He won t let
us ride fast though. Mama doesn t really want me to ride with Papa at all, it s not very
feminine.
 I don t think my Papa would let my sister ride with him. Of course, she s too little.
He doesn t let us ride with him either. He got up from the ground and reached a hand
down to help her up. Maybe he wasn t all bad.
He ran a hand through his disheveled black hair.  Listen, I m sorry about the frog. I
just& ummm&  He looked at her strangely and she felt a little flutter in her stomach.
Maybe Sally had a point about boys.
 It s okay. Frogs aren t too bad. You could make it up to me by pushing me on the
swing. She gave him a shy smile. They walked back into the yard, through the open
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Elaine Lowe
gate in the fence but the yard was different as they passed. It was bigger, the trees older,
opening up on to wide fields Anna didn t recognize. She was scared but the boy took
her hand in his and with the other hand brought a finger to his lips, stilling the question
she was about to ask. His eyes twinkled and he pointed toward the swing.
It wasn t quite the same swing but it still rocked back and forth slowly and the
sound of a lullaby filled the air. A woman sat with an infant in her arms, its tiny head
resting on her shoulder and she moved slowly back and forth, humming a simple tune.
She was lovely and warm, with brown hair pinned up on her head. The two looked so
peaceful, Anna couldn t bear to think that anything could ever disturb them.
Anna glanced at the boy called Kelsey but he was a boy no longer. A man stood
next to her, his hand still clasping hers. She too, was no longer a child but full grown.
As a boy he had been her age, though in truth, he must be seven or eight years her
senior. Dreams worked in odd ways and memories began to flood in. This man had
kissed her, had tried to help her mother, had taken her through war, had thrown a frog
at her. He had taken her heart. And he could not be hers. Tears formed in her eyes and
she watched him gaze at the woman and child.
 Who is it? she asked, daring to break the spell of silence over them.
He gave her a soft, sad smile.  My mother& and my sister. Thank you.
 For what?
 For them. For bringing me here. They& they both died not too long after this. I was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]